Torres Del Paine

2/02/2014

We spent the first day in the Torres Del Paine National Park on an 8 hour hike to see the three giant granite peaks, with amazing scenery along the way - wide valleys, streams, snow-capped mountains. The walk took us through several camping sites (free to camp, super cold and no fires allowed). We refilled our water from glacial streams along the way, like in El Chalten the water is so cold and pure. Today's hike was supposed to be easier than the Fitz Roy hike in El Chalten, but with more uphill and rocky terrain we both thought this was more difficult.

We had glimpses of the peaks as we hiked closer, but it was completely different when we reached our final viewing point. You round the corner and are instantly greeted with a dramatic and unobstructed view of the peaks towering over a green glacial lake, with snow scattered at the base of the towers. We were speechless.

That night we camped at a private site just for our group. The setting was beautiful with mountains in the background. Dinner was incredible and something we will remember as a highlight of the tour. We weren't told what was coming so when we opened the door to the little wooden cottage to see a beautiful room with wide glass windows looking out to the mountains, and a delicious spread of food, wine, and pisco sours - we were stoked! We felt so spoilt; the appetisers would have been enough for a meal but it was followed by a main of salmon, as well as dessert. Really fun night :)

3/02/2014

On the second day in the national park we caught the ferry across to the public camp site on the other side of the park. We saw the burnt remains of trees that covered a really large area - some that will take 100 years to grow back. Fires in the national park are caused by human error rather than natural causes. The recent fires in the park were the result of someone burning their toilet paper, and a cooking fire. These caused a huge amount of damage because winds are so strong and the fire can't be contained. A fine of about $200 is given to people who cause fires, which our guide felt was far too lenient as it is made clear that you are not allowed to use fire in the park.

We had another 8 hour hike with beautiful scenery - the bright blue lakes were stunning. There was a large glacier at the end of the hike, but it wasn't as impressive as Perito Moreno glacier. We finished the night playing Uno and having drinks in the bar.

4/02/2014

Another nice hike to Grey Glacier and our first sighting of a woodpecker. We stayed the night in Puerto Natales and after a fair few wines our group became the best singers our hostel has ever heard at 2 in the morning...

Punta Arenas

5/02/2014

4 hour bus to Punta Arenas, where we visited a penguin colony on the beach! They were only 40-50cm tall and the young ones are grey and fluffy. Interestingly, they don't have distinct markings so they distinguish between one another with a unique call. They live in burrows on the shore (which basically looks like a hole in a bush). We saw the penguins return from hunting in the sea, and heard their strange call - they turn their head to the sky and it's like a honking sound. Adorable.